


Showstopper

by Veresiine



Category: MapleStory
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Fluff, Pre-Relationship, Some minor angst due to overthinking about politics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-02-27 13:34:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18740077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veresiine/pseuds/Veresiine
Summary: Empress Cygnus is planning a banquet to honor the heroes months after the Black Mage's death. But the star of the event might not be a hero at all.Takes place in the same timeline as The Home Front & Sequels series.Title will probably be changed to better reflect the contents of the story.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For those who don't want to read an entire series to get a background of what's going on in this timeline, here are some relevant highlights of changes from canon:
> 
> -Luminous and Lania are temporarily staying in Elluel  
> -Most of the heroes came out of the battle with the Black Mage with some manner of disability or serious injury  
> -Luminous and Mercedes are in a relationship  
> -The Empress's Champion (player character) didn't survive the final battle
> 
> I don't normally write fluff, but I'm giving it a shot! Please bear with me.

Neinheart worried too much.

  
Of course Cygnus knew that the Black Mage's death didn't mean an end to all threats to the Maple World and to her personally, but with the way Neinheart was acting, one would have thought there were assassins lurking behind every tree.

  
Which there weren't.

  
Luminous and Mercedes would have made sure of that.

  
She didn't like disregarding Neinheart's advice entirely, but she had her plan, and she'd see it through. After all they had given for the world, the least she could do for the heroes was to personally invite them to the banquet she had planned in their honor.

  
Asking Mercedes had been simple enough. Mercedes had welcomed Cygnus to Elluel, ensured she had all the honors due to the Empress, and happily accepted the banquet invitation. They had, of course, been under the watchful eyes of the Knights for the entire visit, so Neinheart had had nothing to complain about, either.

  
The problem had arisen when she heard that Luminous wasn't in Elluel that day -- he and one of his friends had taken a day trip to their old house to work on rebuilding it. Neinheart had insisted that they wait until evening when Luminous would return to Elluel.

  
Cygnus had refused.

  
She had a schedule to hold to, and she didn't have time to wait. She'd made her plans assuming that she'd be able to ask both Luminous and Mercedes at once. Neinheart surely could have rearranged things to make them work smoothly even with delays, but she wanted  to avoid that if possible.

  
Neinheart had finally relented, but only on the condition she bring a group of Knights with her for protection.

  
Cygnus had refused that, too.

  
After all, it was a relatively short trek. They were unlikely to have any problems. Luminous and Mercedes would have kept the area as safe as possible for the young woman who lived with them -- Lania, if Cygnus recalled correctly from Neinheart's briefing. And even if they did run into trouble, Cygnus wasn't about to put down her sword yet.

  
Besides, honestly, Cygnus could have used the peace and clarity that came from the sounds of nature and a distinct *lack* of armor clanking around behind her.

  
So there they were, making their way down a well-worn trail in the woods.

  
"Empress, I know you can handle yourself, yet I still worry," Neinheart said, quietly, probably to avoid announcing to any possible threats that the Empress of the Maple World was there and only guarded by her tactician.

  
"Have faith in our heroes, Neinheart." Cygnus replied, pausing for a moment to look ahead down the trail. If she squinted, she could see what looked like a clearing up ahead. "We're nearly there, after all."

  
They continued on a ways. The house in the clearing came into view. The first thing Cygnus noticed was a tarp over what appeared to be a damaged part of the roof. There was a pile of loose shingles off to the side of the house, and boards and a ladder were leaned up against the front wall. Between the mundane tools and the general atmosphere, she would have assumed this was just a regular little cottage in the woods, not the home of the Magician of Light.

  
There was no sign of Luminous or Lania, however.

  
"No one here... I fear this may be a trap, Empress."

  
"Nonsense." She sensed no danger, and trusted that Luminous would have kept the area safe. Without waiting for Neinheart, she began circling around the house to see if they were on the other side.

  
She saw the edge of a picnic blanket, and let down her shoulders after realizing they'd made their way almost up to her ears. Perhaps Neinheart's caution was wearing on her.

  
Luminous seemed to be taking a nap with his cape as a blanket. But Cygnus found her attention was drawn to the young woman reading next to him instead.

  
Lania's eyes widened slightly with recognition, and she dropped into a curtsy. Cygnus's immediate impression was that she was well-mannered country girl, fresh and pretty like the flowers around her.

  
But there was something else, her lack of hesitation when she turned to shake Luminous awake, and a certain lack of fear of Cygnus's authority that seemed to come neither from ignorance nor arrogance, that intrigued her. It wasn't what Cygnus would have expected from someone with her background, not at all.

  
It was like there was a steadying light inside of her. A bit like the champion... Cygnus forced back her grief and focused on the situation at hand. There was no sense forcing her sadness onto two loyal citizens of the Maple World who had both done their parts to save it.

  
Luminous, meanwhile, pulled himself up to kneel before her. Neither Luminous nor Lania spoke, presumably waiting for Neinheart to announce her. After a short pause, Neinheart cleared his throat.

  
"We've no need for excessive formalities today," Neinheart said.

  
"We had enough of those in Elluel," Cygnus continued. "Luminous, I came here to thank you for your contribution to the final battle against the Black Mage. I know we haven't had a chance to speak, since you and the other heroes missed the victory celebration, but I'd like to remedy that." Cygnus met Neinheart's eyes for a moment. He read her intent, gave a slight, curt nod, and pulled a scroll out of his coat, which he handed to Luminous. "In a month's time, we'll be holding a banquet in Ereve for the heroes. I'd be honored if you attended." The look of mixed skepticism and deference Luminous gave her wasn't entirely unexpected, but Cygnus had hoped he'd be more agreeable.

  
"Mercedes has already graciously accepted the Empress's invitation," Neinheart said pointedly. Luminous's expression softened slightly, but Cygnus still got the impression she'd need to do a bit more convincing.

  
"And Lania, you are welcome to come, as well," Cygnus added, feeling a small rush like one that came from solving a puzzle. Not only -- if Neinheart was correct, and she didn't doubt he was -- was Luminous more likely to accept if he didn't have to leave Lania behind, but this way, Cygnus would have more of a chance to see her and get to know her, and maybe understand just what it was that had drawn her attention.

  
"I'd be happy to, Empress." Lania said, bowing her head slightly, but the change in angle couldn't dim the brightness in her expression.

  
"As would I," Luminous said, after another second of consideration.

  
Good. With that, they had three of the six heroes willing to attend; Evan, Mercedes, and Luminous. A good start. And having Lania there as another friendly face could only help.

  
.  
.  
.

  
"I must confess, I wasn't expecting you to extend the invitation to Lania," Neinheart commented, as they made their way back.

  
"Well, we'll be inviting your sister, too, when we talk to Aran. It's only fair for the other heroes to bring someone else, as well." Neinheart gave her a _look_ , one he hadn't in quite some time. Cygnus almost bristled. She wasn't a child any longer! "Why, is she a security threat for whatever reason?" She didn't doubt he had more information on her.

  
"To the best of my knowledge, she poses no threat to you or your rule, Empress, but there are some... peculiar things about her."

  
"Peculiar how?"

  
"Her early childhood, for one." Cygnus could hear a trace of genuine curiosity in Neinheart's voice, curiosity that seemed to echo her own.

  
"Well, perhaps we can ask her when she's in Ereve, then."

  
"As you wish, Empress."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope to have the next chapter up within a week.
> 
> Next up: Lania's PoV and some more elaboration on the heroes' situations.


	2. Chapter 2

Luminous went back to sleep not long after Neinheart and Empress Cygnus had left.

  
That was fine. He had been sleeping a lot and got fatigued easily, but he hadn't had any problems other than that. And if he rested now, maybe he'd have some energy later in the evening to visit with Mercedes.

  
Besides, this was hard work. Lania was tired, too. They had gotten a lot done, and it had taken its toll on both of them. They hadn't made as much progress as she would have liked, but it was a huge project, and it was going to take time no matter how hard they worked.

  
The monsters hadn't done much damage, but the rain certainly had!

  
The hole in the roof left by the chain had let a considerable amount of rain water through in the weeks they'd been away, and the water had damaged and rotted out a lot of the wood that made up the house and some of the furniture. So now, they had to tear up all those boards and put new ones in.

  
Fortunately, there was no new damage since they'd gotten back; the first thing Lania had done was insist they put up a tarp. Between that and some new wards Luminous had set up, they would be safe from rain. Lania was a bit annoyed that they'd _both_ forgotten, but they had both left for Elluel in such a rush, it wasn't a wonder that they had.

  
Mercedes had offered to send help, but they had decided that this was a 'them' project, an Aurora project (plus Penny!).

  
Mercedes herself did come by occasionally to help, just not today. She'd had official business to take care of. She had a hard time helping with construction, but just having her there was nice.

  
Lania almost wished their two visitors had stayed.

  
She would have been inclined to say that Neinheart and Cygnus were too fancy to help out if she hadn't seen the Queen of the Elves mumble curses under her breath after accidentally hammering her thumb three days earlier.

  
Too fancy... and too pretty. Cygnus had seemed so attentive and personal and not what Lania would expect of the Empress of the entire Maple World. There was power there, yes, and Lania certainly hadn't failed to notice the sword at her hip, but she seemed so gentle and sweet.

  
Of course Lania knew Mercedes and saw her balance power and grace, but Mercedes had never seemed quite so... present and focused, in front of her. And Mercedes was a lot older. She didn't look it, but Lania could feel it in how she carried herself (minus the displays of temper, of course). Cygnus, on the other hand, couldn't have been more than a few years older than her as Lania, and didn't have the years of memories of a past life.

  
Lania suddenly felt self-conscious. And she was going to go to Ereve to see them?

  
Well, at least Luminous wouldn't make a big deal of it since he'd be going with her. They could keep an eye on each other this way.

  
And they wouldn't need to worry about the house this time. They'd probably only have to deal with the regular troublemaker monsters and not anything actually dangerous. Even without the Light barrier set up at the house again, Luminous had set up enough lesser wards to keep the monsters away. Between the wards and the tarp, they wouldn't have to worry about rain, either, even if they didn't finish fixing the roof by the time they left.

  
All she'd have to worry about would be the event itself.

  
She and Luminous and Mercedes weren't the only ones going, of course. She couldn't think of a time when she'd ever met Aran or EunWol in person, and she hadn't seen Phantom for more than a few seconds at a time when he dropped by Elluel. And, of course, the Empress!

  
It would be nice to see them and get to know them all.

  
But... she didn't want to stand out too much. She didn't want the Empress to think poorly of her -- and where did that thought come from?

  
Hm. She knew Aurora etiquette and had been paying attention to the elves' official business. While Mercedes' court was generally a bit more lax about protocol and performance than she would have assumed from the books she read, there was still a lot of learning to be done there.

  
Maybe she shouldn't worry too much about it. She was used to Luminous and Mercedes, and she had been used to the Master of Aurora, too. Spending time with the Empress couldn't be much different. At their core, people were people, and being true to herself without being rude was the most important thing.

  
The heroes were Luminous's friends. The Empress had been so kind and personable. Lania didn't reasonably have anything to worry about.

  
Besides, she'd have a month to prepare, right? Maybe she could ask around for more information on what might be expected of her. Luminous and Mercedes would know what to do, since they spent enough time in Ereve for the Alliance meetings -- even if she occasionally had to nearly push Luminous out the door to get him to attend.

  
She could probably also ask some of the Cygnus Knights stationed in Elluel what Ereve would be like.

  
It was probably going to be the biggest trip she'd ever taken, even if it only ended up lasting a day or two. Maybe she shouldn't have agreed so readily, but how could she turn down an offer like that? Especially since it had come from the Empress herself.

  
No matter how she prepared, she'd want to at least bring some of home with her. She had plenty of time to figure out exactly what she was doing.

  
Still, thinking about it made her giddy with excitement. She didn't like crowds too much, but Luminous and Mercedes had said that Ereve wasn't too crowded, and the atmosphere was similar to Elluel; rounded white stone, scenic views, pastel colors, and effortlessly maintained plant life lent a peaceful air.

  
She couldn't wait to see it for herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Luminous PoV. Mercedes shows up. Lania starts to make some plans.
> 
> Not much happened this chapter, so I'm going to do my best to get chapter 3 up some time between tomorrow and Monday.


	3. Chapter 3

It had taken a few days, but Mercedes had finally found time to join Luminous and Lania at the house, and Luminous was grateful for her presence.

  
They had worked hard to finish removing all the water damaged boards. All that was left was to actually rebuild, however many days or weeks that would take. Since they had finished that at roughly lunchtime, they had decided it was a perfect time for a break by the stream.

  
On another day, Luminous might have gone fishing, but today he was sitting next to Mercedes on one of the large rocks, with his arm around her waist and hers around his shoulder, as they watched the stream go on past. He found himself almost dozing off, and from how often Mercedes leaned her head against him, he imagined she was, too.

  
Lania was on her stomach on the picnic blanket, reading a book. Penny was off somewhere, but had actually come along today instead of staying in Elluel as usual. Vieren, however, was still in Elluel; they were going to move the barrier back at some point, but hadn't gotten around to it yet.

  
It seemed things were finally starting to get back to normal. A new normal.

  
"Hey, Lumi?" Luminous picked his head up to glance over at Lania.

  
"What is it, Lania?"

  
"For the event in Ereve, do you think we should get dressed up?" Luminous looked at Mercedes. She seemed to be thinking over an answer, too.

  
"We generally attend the Alliance meetings in our usual outfits," Luminous said, after a few seconds.

  
"But this isn't an Alliance meeting; it's a special event," Mercedes countered. "Though they didn't specify a dress code, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to wear something a little nicer than usual." She looked Lania over. "Do you have any other dresses?" Luminous winced. He knew she didn't, not really. She had a simpler blue gown, a nightgown, and two other outfits similar to her current one. And since they weren't currently in a financial state to buy a new one, and what she had now was about at the limits of their combined tailoring ability, there weren't many options going forward. They could add some embroidery, but that was it.

  
"A few, but nothing fancy," Lania said.

  
"Well, some good accessories can go a long way," Mercedes started, bringing her free hand up to her chin, "though I can't think of any off the top of my head that would really work well with what you're wearing now." Lania reached into her dress to pull out her necklace so it was visible over her clothes.

  
"Yeah, my pendant doesn't really... match." It had been awkward. For everyone. Lania had mentioned offhandedly one day, after looking at Luminous's pendant, that she missed the necklace she had worn as Lucia. So of course Luminous had gone back to Harmony to retrieve it, knowing that he and Vieren had put it in a box -- they might have buried Lucia, but they had still wanted something to remember her by. Upon searching for it, he realized that Vieren had moved it at some point over the centuries, and had needed to interrogate him to find out its new location. But Vieren hadn't remembered where he had put it, so Luminous had spent what had felt like an entire day searching before finally locating it. The battle wasn't even over there; the silver had tarnished over the centuries, and it had taken Lania weeks to restore it.

  
"Phantom could probably come up with s --"

  
"No," Luminous snapped, cutting Mercedes off. Lania gave a 'pfft'; Mercedes sighed.

  
"Come on, you wouldn't even need to see him if we were just asking him for fashion advice," Mercedes said.

  
"I suppose you are correct. And while more formal attire is indeed an option, we've no need to put it additional effort. There should be nothing wrong with going as you are now."

  
"W-well I kind of... want to dress up a bit," Lania said, glancing away. Luminous couldn't help but notice the blush spreading across her face. _Oh_. Maybe she wanted an opportunity or excuse to just be a *girl*. She'd never really had the chance; she was always so studious and responsible as Lucia and so hardworking and dedicated as Lania. And in one way or another, the Black Mage had made it impossible for her to simply relax. Luminous wished he could help.

  
"Well, in that case, maybe I could take you dress shopping at some point." Mercedes _could_ help, however. Thank goodness. It would probably be good for her, too; Mercedes had been avoiding going shopping since the battle. She was still very hesitant to take off her gloves when not in private, even though the marks had begun to fade in time.

  
"Would you? Thank you so much!"

  
"Of course!" Mercedes beamed, then turned to Luminous. "Though if Lania's getting all dressed up, maybe we should, too." Luminous made a noncommittal sound in reply. "Depending on what the others are doing, of course. I'll contact them when I get the chance." Right. She had so much paperwork waiting for her back in Elluel.

  
The Black Mage was gone, but there were still all manner of aid requests and negotiations that needed to be seen to before the world could say it had even _mostly_ recovered from the damage that had been done. Elluel, it seemed, was bearing the brunt of that; between the Cygnus Knights, Athena's aid, and its own forces, the homeland of the elves hadn't seen nearly as much destruction as some of the other powers. So, of course, they had to use their resources to help others.

  
Luminous had offered to help Mercedes with the paperwork. After all, he had been studying up on the elves' political system, and Mercedes almost always talked things over with him before making major decisions. He felt he had a good grasp of the situation, and offered guidance when he could, but he still would have liked to be doing more. Mercedes had said that she appreciated his offer, but it was best politically if he didn't do anything officially; she didn't want anyone questioning her authority.

  
Luminous understood completely.

  
This arrangement left him time to get more work done on the house with what strength he had.

  
By this point, he had almost accepted his lack of energy. He was still a bit bitter, of course, but all things considered, he'd come out of the battle with the Black Mage better off this time than last time. He was certain he and Vieren would eventually figure something out to help him get back to his usual level of productivity.

  
At the very least, he wanted to be able to keep up with the others at the event. Lania seemed so excited for the trip, and Luminous wanted to be there for her and to keep an eye out for her.

  
Nothing was going to hurt her in Ereve, not on his watch. And if anything, a fresh new experience would be good for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luminous means well. He wants to help Lania. He just doesn't really get it.  
> Next chapter: Mercedes PoV. Mercedes gets it.
> 
> I've caught up to the end of my detailed outlines, so the next chapter should be up in closer to a full week than a few days.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a mess, but MapleStory is an anachronism stew anyway, so I suppose it's par for the course.

Mercedes supposed she could have easily summoned tailors to the palace. She simply didn't want to. She didn't want to make this *too* formal. Lania wasn't easily intimidated, but she didn't want to make her uncomfortable anyway.

  
Besides, going shopping for clothes was a bonding experience, and Mercedes hadn't done this in a while.

  
"So, did you have anything in particular in mind?" Mercedes asked Lania, as they walked down the street. Mercedes had started them off on their way to her favorite store, but if Lania knew what she wanted, maybe one of the other stores would be better suited to make or modify something for her.

  
"I don't know, really," Lania said.

  
"Color scheme? Style?" Maybe Lania did have an idea, she was just overwhelmed thinking about the entire dress. If Mercedes narrowed it down to some categories, she might have better luck.

  
"I don't know. Maybe... I don't want to stand out too much, so no reds, I guess?" Lania looked down and fiddled with her bow. _Well, that's a start_.

  
"Don't want to stand out 'too much'. So you want to stand out a little?"

  
"I-I mean..." Lania looked away, blushing slightly. "I guess," she mumbled. The pieces suddenly fit together in Mercedes' mind.

  
"Who's caught your eye?" Mercedes asked, but was met with silence. Lania was still looking away, but at least she had her eyes near her feet so she wouldn't trip. "Don't worry, it's not like I'll tell Luminous," Mercedes chuckled. Lania looked back up at her, and on meeting her eyes, cracked a small smile. She seemed less flustered now.

  
"I'm not concerned about him. I mean, not about this, at least. He'll worry if he finds out, but he _always_ does. No, it's... I'll handle it, Mercedes, but thank you."

  
"I see. Well, I'm always here to listen if you do want to talk." Mercedes had to admit, she was curious who Lania was crushing on, but if Lania wanted  privacy, she would get it. Mercedes cared about her, but she was neither an overbearing relative nor a gossip. She trusted Lania's judgment and knew she was old enough to know how to look out for herself. That said, if whoever had caught Lania's eye did turn out to be a bad person and hurt her, she'd probably join Luminous in making them pay.

  
"Thanks."

  
"So, I guess that means we'll be looking for something that's a bit more flattering but still 'you'." Mercedes looked Lania up and down. She'd insisted that Lania show her some of her other outfits before this so she could get a better idea of her sense of style, but it hadn't helped.

  
"Yeah!"

  
"How about this." Come to think of it, Mercedes hadn't told Lania her whole plan yet. Now was a good a time as any. "Let's go to the shop just down this street first, and see if they have anything you like. If nothing there seems right, we'll go to another store that's closer to the middle of Elluel. And if neither has the perfect dress, by then I imagine you'll have seen some elements and themes you like, and we can get something custom made for you." There were other stores in Elluel, of course, but as much as she wished she did, Mercedes didn't have all day. She had a meeting with the Elders in the evening to discuss trade negotiations with Lith Harbor. "Or, if we find something in a store that's close to what you want, we can request some changes." Beyond the adjustments to fitting that she felt were implied with any store purchase, of course.

  
"Won't that be expensive?" Lania asked. Mercedes gave her a hard look.

  
"Lania, I'm a _queen_." It wasn't as though this was coming out of the state budget, either -- perish the thought! -- Mercedes had enough personal funds allotted for her to live comfortably, and she would spend those as she pleased.

  
"Yes, but still..." Lania broke off. "I appreciate it, Mercedes. Thank you."

  
"You're very welcome." They were almost to the shop now. As soon as they were close enough to really see some of the items displayed in the window, Mercedes noticed that Lania seemed drawn to one of them and nearly cut Mercedes off as she made a beeline for it. "Found something already, eh?" Mercedes asked, smiling. Maybe this would be easier than she thought. That said, she personally couldn't see Lania wearing a brown and gold gown to Ereve, and she couldn't quite picture her wearing an off-the-shoulder design, but if Lania liked it, she certainly wasn't going to turn her down.

  
"Not quite," Lania said, reaching out but stopping herself a few centimeters short of touching the glass. "I think that's... a bit more skin than I want to show off." She gestured toward a slit in the otherwise long and slightly flared skirt. "But I like it!"

  
"Well, you could always wear your petticoats underneath, right? It would be a bit more modest and would also be more 'you'."

  
"Good idea!"

  
"Let's go inside and see if they have anything else," Mercedes suggested, making her way to the door and holding it open for Lania. She supposed that _technically_ Lania should be waiting on her and not the other way around, but at this point she almost felt like family.

  
Mercedes met the shopkeeper's eyes as they entered, and saw her flash a relieved smile. She supposed she must have worried her a bit; she usually visited, at least to window-shop, once a month or so. She had held to that routine for decades -- not counting the time the shopkeeper had been in ice, of course -- so she supposed her recent scarcity must have been worrying.

  
That said, she didn't know how much of the shopkeeper's concern was for Mercedes personally and how much was for her own sake. Having the Queen routinely visit and shop was good for business, after all.

  
Meanwhile, Lania had started browsing near the back wall. Mercedes supposed she should help look, too.

  
Lania's coloring was similar to hers, so she'd probably look good in similar shades. Light blue, gold, and silver were solid bets, but Mercedes supposed that some teal would look good, too. Silver in particular seemed a solid choice for accents, since Mercedes imagined Lania would want to wear her necklace, but it was possible she would decide against it. Personally, Mercedes felt that gold would suit Lania better, and had some jewelry she was willing to lend her for the occasion.

  
She'd probably extend that offer soon.

  
Of course, she wasn't sure how much of what she had would suit Lania, personally. It was nice to have something more flattering in color and design, but being _herself_ was the most important thing, _especially_ if looking for a relationship.

  
The petticoats had been a good idea. Maybe they could also work a bow into whatever design Lania ended up choosing.

  
Every girl needed at least one nice outfit that really suited them, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Satsuha for drawing the art that inspired this ship and this piece in the first place, and to Sythe for helping me figure out how clothes work.
> 
> Sorry this took so long. First I was struggling with the chapter, then I had (and still have) a headache that's been going on for almost a week, then I had too much caffeine and started a massive, time-sensitive art project. And *then*, just when I was *almost* ready to post the chapter, we had a call-in at work and I had to cover for them.
> 
> Ugh.
> 
> Anyway, this story is going to go on hiatus until I finish that art project.
> 
> Next chapter should still be up within a month, however!
> 
> Next chapter: Neinheart PoV.


	5. Chapter 5

"So, Neinheart, what do you think everyone would like to eat?" Cygnus asked.

  
Neinheart had to admit, while he did keep detailed profiles on everyone, favorite foods generally weren't on the list. Say what you will about 'a way to a man's heart is through his stomach;' Neinheart was of the belief that personal motivation, debts, and important causes were better ways to sway one's opinion.

  
But Cygnus was insistent, this was harmless, and Neinheart had some spare time.

  
"I shall compile a list of foods the Heroes consume the most at the Alliance meetings," Neinheart said. Even if he didn't think it was important, he'd had one of the staffers take notes anyway. He was glad he had. Even if the notes proved insufficient, Neinheart could make assumptions based off background.

  
"But what about Lania?" All the preparations seemed to be Lania this and Lania that. It wasn't incessant or nonstop -- the Empress was nothing if not well-mannered, and she knew not to be too transparent -- but it was enough that he noticed a pattern.

  
He wondered if this was some sort of rebound from the Champion. Cygnus didn't _know_ Lania well enough for a proper relationship, but the heart did as it wished, and crushes could crop up over anything. Besides, Cygnus was probably hurting more on the inside than she let on over the Champion's death. True, they hadn't actually been in a relationship, but anyone could have seen how much they meant to one another. It was a terrible shame how that had happened; practical reasons aside, Neinheart had grown to like them quite a bit.

  
Well, he wasn't about to get in Cygnus's way over this. The Empress made her own choices, and as far as suitors went, Lania posed no security threat. She was no fighter and almost certainly had no political motivations. She also had precious little to _offer_ the Empress, politically, but emotional support alone could be invaluable, especially in times like these.

  
Perhaps Cygnus needed a diversion from the stress of adjusting to a world where the greatest threat was through a portal to another dimension rather than an ever-present and tangible force that had reshaped the world more than once in living memory.

  
That said, even if Lania was harmless, Luminous had the potential to become a security threat if things went sour. All the more motivation for Neinheart to make this succeed, he supposed. Cygnus was too kind-hearted to ever intentionally hurt someone like Lania, after all, so there was no reason for Luminous to be hostile. All things considered, there was no harm in this.

  
Cygnus would never neglect her duties for love, for better or for worse.

  
"I'd imagine Lania will be content with a menu that caters towards the preferences of the Heroes." She lived with Luminous, after all, and sometimes Mercedes, so Neinheart supposed she'd accept similar food.

  
If he really wanted to, he could probably get some information from the Omega Sector agents -- and he still wasn't entirely sure how _that_ alliance had cropped up! But he was confident enough in his earlier guess. From what he recalled from reading over his own agent's notes in the past, the Heroes had diverse enough preferences.

  
Now that he was on that train of thought, he decided to go over some possibilities before he referred  to the actual notes. Having a rough budget estimate was a good idea; they'd already spent hours figuring out decorations and their cost and setup, and he wanted to know how many resources he'd likely have left over for events.

  
The food would be a significant expense, after all. Aran had surprisingly pricey tastes in food. Phantom did too, _un_ surprisingly. Mercedes generally wasn't picky, but she was _royalty_ , and failing to provide meals fit for a Queen was disrespectful. Neinheart didn't want to chance inflaming any tensions or hurt feelings with Elluel, especially since he got the distinct impression Mercedes had neither forgotten nor forgiven their dispute over intel during the journey to the Black Mage. Of course she hadn't; elves had notoriosly long memories. Meanwhile, Evan, Mir, EunWol, and Luminous seemed easy enough to please, even if the sheer _volume_ of food Mir consumed was enough to give anyone without access to imperial funding pause.

  
Neinheart would still be able to work it into the budget, of course; he'd pulled off more impressive bureaucratic feats on shorter notice. The fact that the event would only take two days including labor for setup and cleanup helped.

  
After all, they were Heroes. They deserved it.

  
Those who stood behind the Heroes and made their victory possible deserved it too.

  
Neinheart wondered idly if they should have invited the Elders from Elluel. They hadn't explicitly invited them, but had implied that Mercedes was welcome to bring who she pleased. As royalty, it was socially expected she'd bring at least a small entourage, even if she rarely did. Fortunately, Mercedes was transparent enough in person -- anyone could see when anger flashed in her eyes even if the rest of her demeanor was polite and regal -- and she hadn't given any indication of annoyance or offense during their visit.

  
As for the other guests, it would be nice to see Lilin again, and somewhat less nice to see Phantom's people. Neinheart imagined it was possible he'd meet EunWol's friend from  Grandis, but there were no guarantees; like the Elders, there had been no explicit invitation, only an implied one.

  
Neinheart wasn't sure if Evan would bring his family or friends, but he would certainly bring Mir.

  
And then, Lania.

  
It would be interesting to see how this unfolded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will probably be up early June!
> 
> Next chapter: Cygnus PoV. It's finally time for the event!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have NO IDEA what's going on or how social gatherings work, so I had to do RESEARCH to write this chapter like a RESPONSIBLE person.
> 
> Anyway, please ignore the unfortunate timing of this chapter RE: current events in world news. It's an awkward coincidence.

As much as Cygnus wanted the gathering to be informal to set the Heroes at ease, and as much as she didn't want to go through the planning of an official state dinner, Neinheart had been quick to remind her that, at the very least, they needed to follow up their first invitations with RSVPs to find out exactly who was coming.

  
No one liked empty place settings, and what they had planned wasn't exactly cheap. Knowing the exact number of guests was important.

  
Thankfully, they had given themselves plenty of time to sort things out.

  
Only Mercedes, Luminous, and Lania were coming from Elluel. Evan and Mir weren't bringing anyone else from their family. Aran was only bringing Lilin, and EunWol was bringing Moonbeam. Phantom had chosen to come alone.

  
All the preparations had been made; all that was left was to wait for their guests. Cygnus was standing on a balcony with a spyglass in her hand, ready to examine any incoming ships.

  
Up until now, she had only seen two passenger ships of returning Knights and one supply ship. Of course, there was still an hour to go before the scheduled time, but Cygnus couldn't help but wait.

  
She caught a glimpse of another small passenger ship on the horizon. Excited, she nearly lost her grip on the spyglass as she brought it to her eye.

  
It was difficult to tell at this distance, but there were four people; the captain, and three others who vaguely resembled Lania, Mercedes, and Luminous. She couldn't definitively _say_ that it was the Elluel party, but she set the spyglass down, hiked up her skirts, and rushed down the steps toward where any guest's ships were expected to land.

  
Perhaps her enthusiasm was a bit unbecoming of the Empress, but as the hostess, she had to greet them! She could  hear Neinheart moving to follow her, albeit with less haste.

  
The ship must have been moving very quickly, because by the time Cygnus got to the landing site, Luminous and Mercedes had already disembarked. They were wearing their normal gear, though Mercedes had added a skirt train with gold embroidery and another necklace. Neither of them were carrying their weapons with them.Cygnus was grateful for that sign of trust. Mercedes stepped forward, and Cygnus was able to see Lania behind her.

  
Oh.

  
It wasn't exactly regal, but Cygnus's first thought was 'oh no, I'm gay.' She had _known_ that about herself, of course, but hadn't connected the dots to _Lania_. Now it made sense. She wasn't just curious and intrigued, this was most definitely a crush. And how could Cygnus not? Lania's bright personality in a dress like _that_ , elegant and dignified but still simple and _her_...

  
Of course, this meant that Cygnus would have to go through 'but what if she's straight' again, but that was a journey she was more than willing to take.

  
Lania lifted up her skirts slightly to step off the ship, and Cygnus saw that she was wearing heels, but seemed unsteady on them. One of the attending knights reached out, but Cygnus had already started moving and got there to offer her hand first.

  
Lania took it, smiling gratefully at her, like a ray of warm sunshine. Lania's cheeks were a bit pink, but she clearly wasn't intimidated or confused. Cygnus, on the other hand, knew that _she_ was getting flustered after breaking protocol like that. But again, how could she _not_?

  
She heard Neinheart clear his throat behind her. Right. Protocol.

  
"Welcome to Ereve. Please, follow me," Cygnus said, once Lania's feet were safely on the ground. Cygnus supposed she could easily have had the Knights lead them to the seating arrangements instead, but this event was to thank the Heroes personally. All the Heroes; there was no one guest of honor above the rest, so she could forgo some formalities.

  
.  
.  
.

  
It had been a good meal. There had been a few gaffes on the parts of the guests, but those were easily overlooked. Cygnus herself hadn't been the picture of perfect protocol, after all, and it wasn't an official state dinner. What mattered was they had good food and good company. Everyone seemed to appreciate her speech, genuinely, and gave more than just the expected applause.

  
In the back of her mind, Cygnus kept thinking that while they were celebrating now -- even if it was a bit delayed on account of the Heroes being separated from the rest of the Alliance forces -- she might have to call on them at any time to help their allies in Grandis, and they might not come back victorious or even alive.

  
But those worries went away, at least for a little while, whenever she was talking to Lania across the table and could make her smile.

  
Unfortunately, she _had_ to think of it; it was her responsibility as the Empress. Even if it would be cruel to Lania to ask Mercedes and Luminous to leave her alone again with no guarantee of a safe return. Seeing the three of them interact in person, she could really appreciate how close they were. Neinheart had told her they were close, of course, and she was able to infer things by herself, but even when her focus at dinner narrowed down to Lania, she could feel eyes on her and realized they belonged to Luminous, watching her a like a hawk.

  
She understood what was going on. Luminous respected her authority, of course, and he was as reliable as he could be, but the dynamic here wasn't between a magician and an Empress, or even between two people both burdened and blessed by Transcendental powers; this was a man and a person interested in his child.

  
At least Neinheart wasn't doing the same. If anything, he seemed amused. Which Cygnus had to admit was odd, but...

  
Drat. He had known the entire time, hadn't he? Before she had, at least. Cygnus wasn't even surprised. Neinheart _had_ to be good at reading people.

  
They were having their coffee now, away from the formalities of assigned seating, and theoretically free to mingle as they pleased. Cygnus was intentionally giving Lania some distance, but kept seeing her glance over at her, color slightly, and look back away.

  
Cygnus _wanted_ to go to her, but she needed to think and process, and she also didn't wish to be rude to the other guests.

  
She spared a glance at the clock. Right. It was almost time for music and dance. She wondered if Evan would be all right; he had eaten a _lot_ of food, and the time they had spent on coffee couldn't have been long enough for him to digest it. It was all right, though, even if the thought of the dragon master having to sit out dancing because he ate too much was a bit amusing.

  
Deciding on musicians had also been difficult. The Chief Knights had offered -- they all had some musical skill -- and having them perform would help it be a more private gathering, but Cygnus had still been hesitant. She had considered asking a group of three traveling musicians to provide some chamber music, hoping that might be more to Lania's tastes, but she had ultimately made the decision that it wasn't quite befitting of the Empress (and their leader and brass player had been a bit too excitable). So the Chief Knights it was.

  
As soon as the minute hand reached the top of the clock, she'd be able to spend some time with Lania without feeling any social pressure.  
Cygnus would probably have to guide her in the steps of a dance -- surely Mercedes would have prepared her a bit, but it couldn't be enough -- but Cygnus almost _wanted_ that.

  
Everything would work out fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Next chapter will be up eventually; I'm currently focused on a huge, time-sensitive art and programming project, and that's taking up all the energy I have left over after work.
> 
> I should still have this done before the end of June, however!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry this took so long; life is AAAAAAA and Internet is super unreliable.

It was dance time, if Lania had read the itinerary correctly. Mercedes had briefed her a bit on what to expect at the event, but she still felt a little lost.

  
She was struggling to remember what she had gone over with Mercedes. She'd asked some of the elves to drill her on courtly dance, but she felt like she retained very little of it. Even what she did retain, she doubted she could pull off in heels. _Why_ hadn't she practiced _in_ them? Right. She had. But she'd gotten blisters on the first day, so she had worn her regular shoes until they healed. And then Luminous had said he was worried about her falling and breaking something, so she'd decided not to wear them again.

  
Maybe it wouldn't be a problem. It was possible no one would ask her to dance anyway, right? She noticed that Aran was also standing on the sidelines and making no motion to go to the dance floor.

  
But at the same time, a selfish part of Lania still _hoped_ Cygnus would ask her. She knew she shouldn't get her hopes up; Cygnus was the _Empress_ , and...

  
And she was walking right towards Lania.

  
Lania stood up a bit straighter as she focused her attention down to Cygnus and Cygnus alone. The Empress seemed a bit stiff, as if she were nervous but forcing herself forward anyway with a friendly face. It seemed so... _counter_ to everything Lania knew or had heard about her. Though if Lania hadn't been used to reading subtle changes in demeanor, she most likely wouldn't have noticed anything amiss. Once she was within arm's reach, Cygnus held out her hand.

  
"Lania." Cygnus's face broke into a smile on saying her name. Lania felt her heart beat a little faster. "Would you like to dance with me?"

  
"Of course!" Lania blurted out, almost before Cygnus finished. And then she remembered her worries from just a few seconds previous. Oh, well. There was no going back now. She took Cygnus's hand, smiling, as they moved toward the dance floor.

  
The world narrowed down to just them. Lania knew that Luminous was surely watching, but it was okay. She was safe. She _felt_ safe, in a way she hadn't in a long time, even through the slight nervousness that came from being face-to-face and hand-in-hand with the Empress, in front of others, with little clue of what was socially expected of her.

  
Once they'd found their spot on the dance floor, Cygnus pulled her in closer and placed the hand that wasn't holding hers on the small of her back, as she did so adjusting her grip on her hand so she could better lead her in the dance.

  
On the one hand, she _wanted_ to be close to Cygnus, and she was _glad_ Cygnus was leading, but on the other hand, this didn't quite feel right. She wasn't emotionally threatened or uncomfortable; she liked Cygnus's presence, she just didn't feel like it suited her. Lania lifted her arm up, forcing Cygnus to reposition her hand again, then twirled around maintaining contact with the palm of Cygnus's hand, even if she displaced the hand on her back. Lania knew that wasn't a part of the dance, but it was what felt right at that moment. She reached for Cygnus's hand again and leaned back, balancing herself on one foot and with Cygnus's grip. She held that pose for a second before rebounding back in to a comfortable and polite distance.

  
"I'm sorry, did I make you uncomfortable?" Cygnus asked.

  
"No, I just think... why don't we make this up as we go along?" Lania knew it was a bold move, but she saw little other option. "Maybe someday I'd... I'd love for you to teach me how to dance, but that's not going to happen in one evening."

  
"Oh, so you'd like to visit again?" Cygnus's face lit up and her voice rose about half an octave. Lania realized she'd almost just invited herself over, and that was rude, but Cygnus didn't seem upset or offended. In fact, she seemed genuinely pleased. Lania hoped that, maybe, Cygnus was feeling the same way as her.

  
"I'd love to!"

  
"I'm so happy to hear that." In stark contrast from a moment before, Cygnus brought her voice back down to a level tone and put a damper on her facial expression. Lania tried not to feel the sting; she knew this expression from Mercees. Fun time was over; ruler time was back. "It's always a pleasure to see and get to know my people." Cygnus was, of course, gentle and kind and gracious, but formal and almost detached. Lania supposed she should have been satisfied with that, but she didn't _want_ to see the queenly mask; she wanted to see _Cygnus_ , the glimpses she'd been shown of the tender and caring young woman under the mantle of a powerful ruler.

  
Of all the possible directions Lania's mind could have taken in that moment, she her thoughts flashed to that little packet of paper Phantom had given Luminous on how to properly court and provide for a ruler. 'Properly' was a bit of a stretch, given that this was _Phantom_ , but some direction was better than nothing. The general suggestion, in situations like this, seemed to be to say something sassy or flirty to bring some humanity back into the interaction.  
But that wasn't who Lania was.

  
And they had drifted away from the original subject.

  
"Of course. Thank you. And, about the dance, how about this?" Lania pulled Cygnus a little closer to the garden side of the floor, making an effort to have her steps fall approximately in tune to the beat of the music. They needed a little more space; she hadn't been focused much on her surroundings, but she did know that she'd very nearly stepped on EunWol's toes at one point, and didn't want a repeat of that. Especially since what Lania had in mind was nothing resembling the measured steps of any kind of courtly dance.

  
Once they had enough space, Lania let Cygnus go, but stayed within arm's reach. She closed her eyes for a half-second, thinking back to her days as Lucia in Aurora. Their master had sometimes played the piano for them to dance to for fun. They'd had no instruction, so they'd make things up as they went along. Vieren had been clumsy and self-conscious about it, and Luminous took it too seriously to have much fun, but she had loved it.

  
It was a little bit more difficult to find the motions she wanted in the music when it was more than just one instrument playing and she'd never heard the tune before, but it was a fun challenge.

  
And she could share that experience with someone new.

  
Cygnus seemed a little confused at first, but soon enough she shed any pretense of sticking to courtly dance and also started to make up her own steps, staying close enough to Lania that they could reach out and touch, or hold hands to brace each other when they spun around.

  
Cygnus was smiling and laughing, and Lania found she was, too.

  
It was like a piece of a puzzle that she didn't even know was missing had fallen into place. _This_ was living.

  
And thanks to all the people around her, she'd get to do it again sometime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, everyone!  
> That about wraps up all the MS stuff I had planned, except for that one EunWol oneshot I mentioned a while back. Nexon ended up arguably doing a better job on the subjects I wanted to touch on than I did, so I may or may not actually finish it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Special thanks to Satsuha, GrimBeard, and anyone who leaves kudos or comments! You all give me inspiration and motivation to keep going.


End file.
